Page 64 of Tear of Destiny

I know this question has been on his mind. And I know he’s still not entirely comfortable with my plan.

“He invited me to a party on Saturday. It’s mostly for the younger generation of future Council members. It’s the perfect opportunity for us because they’ll all be distracted by the party.”

Even from this distance, I can see the anxiety in Noah’s eyes. I slowly wade back out of the water. Noah hands me a towel, which I wrap around myself and then sink down beside him. I reach for his hand and entwine my fingers in his.

“It’s going to fine, don’t worry.”

“Tess, that house belongs to Council members. They wouldn’t leave it unprotected. And the room we’re trying to get into contains unimaginably valuable objects. I find it hard to believe there’s no security.”

I shrug. “Maybe there is. But I’ll go into the room first, and if anything happens, then I’ll be the one to deal with them. I’ll say I just wanted to see the items again. They’ll be angry, and maybe I’ll even face some kind of consequences, but I’m sure they won’t kill me or exile me. I’m a Tempes with a valuable gift.”

At least, that’s what I hope, but of course I have my doubts too. I just don’t want to admit this to Noah because we have no other choice.

“That all sounds way too easy,” Noah persists.

I understand his concerns. But it doesn’t matter. We have to take this risk, and I don’t want to waste precious time thinking like that.

I lean toward him and sense his hesitation, which is nevertheless short-lived. With a fierce kiss, I put his concerns to rest, at least for the moment.

Noah puts his hands behind my head and pulls me closer. He buries his fingers in my hair and holds me as if he never wantsto let me go. The interplay of our tongues ignites a fire in me that burns more and more fiercely. I want to be closer to him, and I don’t want even an inch of space anywhere between us. So I sit on his lap, caress his face, touch his cheekbones, his smooth skin, his firm chin. I can’t get enough of him, and he seems to feel the same. I pull off his shirt and feel his heart hammering under my hand.

Noah kisses me with unbridled lust. He runs his tongue along my cheek, my neck, my collarbone. His fingers push aside the towel and reach for one of the straps on my bikini top. He pushes that off too, and I breathe fast, the tension building in me until it’s almost intolerable. He slowly slides his fingers under the fabric of my bikini top. The sensation is intoxicating, and I throw my head back, look up the treetops against the sky, and feel Noah’s lips wander across my breast. The tip of his tongue on my skin drives me crazy, and I don’t think I can stand it much longer. His other hand rests on my hip, caressing my bare skin – so slowly that it’s almost torture.

“Noah,” I murmur, then I hold my breath as his fingers begin to explore the rest of me. I gladly give myself over to this incredible feeling, and I sense that he can barely contain himself either.

I lean forward and cover his firm chest with kisses, tracing the outlines of his muscles. I explore every concave, every convex, and I’ll never forget this breathtaking sight. Now it’s my turn to move tortuously slowly and drive him to the brink of madness. I hear his quick breaths and feel his skin quiver.

After I unbutton his pants and he liberates himself from them, he beds me in the soft grass and lies on top of me. We kiss, and I wrap my arms around his neck, never wanting to let go. I don’t want to think about the past anymore; I don’t want to be caught up in it.

Noah’s lips brush over my breast as his hands caress my inner thighs and slowly wander higher. I sigh softly under hisincredible touch, which sends a shudder through my whole body. I put my hands on his hips and dig my nails into his skin. Noah is above me, and as he slowly lowers himself down on me, I feel as if my heart will explode.

It feels too good – his lips, his movements, his caresses. I can finally be free and be together with the one who means the world to me. I know I’ve had this feeling once before. It was intense and almost destroyed me. But this time, it will be different. I can be happy with Noah. We can overcome all the problems and difficulties together. Ayden won’t be in my thoughts anymore; he belongs in the past; so do his hands, on my skin, the feeling of his body, his voice in my ear, whispering my name…

“Tess? Are you okay?” Noah murmurs into my neck. Then the look he gives me is pensive – searching even.

I force a smile and try to focus on the here and now. “Yeah, I’m fine. My thoughts just wandered for a moment.”

He says nothing, just looks at me. Piercingly, as if he can see through my eyes and identify something that remains hidden from everyone else. He slowly strokes my hair and says, “You’re not ready to give your whole heart to me, are you?”

His words are like a slap in the face, and it takes me a moment to find my voice. “What… how… what makes you say that? No, that’s not true. You have to believe me. I want to be with you.”

Noah lies down beside me and wraps me in his arms, firm and warm. A few seconds pass in which we say nothing.

“I believe that’s what you want,” he says finally, “but you can’t deny that he still has a place in your heart. And that’s okay. You loved him a lot.”

I can hear how reluctant he is to say these words, and I feel them pierce my soul. Why? Why does he have to say something like that? I just want to be with him and be happy. I don’t want to pine for Ayden anymore. I want to be free of him. Once and for all.

“Tess, it’s okay,” says Noah, wiping the tears off my cheeks. “I can wait. You just need a little more time, and I’m happy to give you that.”

He kisses my cheeks, my hair, and I nestle up to him. I feel as if my heart’s going to explode. I’m so overwrought and don’t know what to think or feel. Noah’s wrong. I’m over Ayden; he doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.

Or it might be true? Am I just using Noah to try and erase all my feelings for Ayden from my heart? No way! I’d never do that!

“It’s all good, Tess,” he says, his lips tickling my face. But this time, the kisses aren’t fiery and filled with lust. They’re comforting with a hint of bittersweet sadness. This evening he’s lost something too, and the realization is painful for both of us.

I’m totally beside myself. How did this happen? What went wrong? We were so close, everything was perfect. And then I ruined everything.

Noah and I sat by the lake for hours. He spent most of that time holding me and trying to comfort me. But my emotional upheaval didn’t improve. I keep wondering what’s wrong with me. And whether maybe Noah was right.

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